Wednesday, August 20, 2008



Reasons to be suspicious

And hot on the heels of TVNZ's poll saying people don't trust National is a perfect example of why they shouldn't: Herald journalist Fran O'Sullivan talking chummily about a secret agenda. Discussing Labour Party President Mike Williams' numerous board appointments, she goes on to say

Proportionately this is obviously out-of-whack and would be untenable if an incoming National government does tackle the major policy shift it talks about behind closed doors.
No hints on what that "major policy shift" might be, but given that she regards his regional transport appointments as uncontroversial, and that science policy is unlikely to be considered "major", it points towards something to do with Genesis power or OnTrack. Which suggests that privatisation might be on the secret agenda after all...

Meanwhile, O'Sullivan should be hanging her head in shame. The role of a journalist is to inform the public and hold power to account. Exposing the lies of the powerful is a key part of this. A journalist who heard consistent reports about a "major policy shift [talked] about behind closed doors" has a clear duty to report it to the public, to ensure that it is properly debated rather than being sprung on us by surprise. But its obvious by now that O'Sullivan isn't a journalist; she's just a spinner, helping the powerful lie to us to further their deeply undemocratic agenda. And these people have the gall to complain about bloggers? At least we're honest about where we stand, rather than hiding our agenda behind a tissue-thin mask of "journalistic impartiality"...

[Hat-tip: The Standard]